"You know exactly what I meant. It was sarcasm. It was joking, we were all smiling. And a question like that is just fake news," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for his trip to France for the Group of Seven (G-7) summit.

Trump garnered attention on Wednesday when he rejected concerns about his long running trade war with China while looking upward and saying he believes he is "the chosen one" to fight decades of trade cheating by Beijing.

“Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one,” Trump continued, glancing over his shoulder and toward the sky. “Somebody had to do it, so I took on China. I took on China on trade, and you know what? We’re winning.”

Trump remarks came the same day that he defended his comments about Jewish loyalty that sparked backlash on the left, with Trump sharing a quote from a right-wing radio host likening him to "the King of Israel" and the "second coming of God."

" 'President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world...and the Jewish people in Israel love him like he’s the King of Israel," Trump tweeted, quoting Wayne Allyn Root.

"They love him like he is the second coming of God...But American Jews don’t know him or like him. They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense!" Trump added, still quoting Root.

Trump weighed in Friday following the latest escalation of his trade battle with China, announcing tariffs on hundreds of billions of Chinese goods in a sweeping response to duties announced by Beijing earlier in the day.